


Peace Through Strength

by StrictlyNoFrills



Series: Guarding Louis [2]
Category: The Musketeers (2014)
Genre: F/M, character tags to be added as the characters appear
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:54:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25415752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StrictlyNoFrills/pseuds/StrictlyNoFrills
Summary: Anne would burn down the world for her son. Thankfully, she thinks she can settle for reshaping France.
Relationships: Ana de Austria | Anne d'Autriche & Louis XIV de France, Ana de Austria | Anne d'Autriche & Milady Clarick de Winter, Ana de Austria | Anne d'Autriche/Aramis | René d'Herblay, Aramis | René d'Herblay & d'Artagnan
Series: Guarding Louis [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1810432
Comments: 17
Kudos: 20





	Peace Through Strength

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Enigma_TM](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Enigma_TM/gifts).



> Well, now! It's taken me a little while to get this first chapter finished - I've been working on it here and there for several weeks - but we can finally get this party started! 
> 
> Fair warning: I'm not entirely sure how long this part of the series will be, and I make no promises about the frequency or scheduling of updates.
> 
> Shall we begin?

Anne stared sightlessly into the mirror of her vanity as Jeanette finished pinning the last few sections of her hair. She missed Constance, who once upon a time would have swooped in and offered to arrange Anne’s hair herself (ostensibly so that the maids might have a bit of a break, but in truth in order to give Anne a start to her day with no pretenses, where she could speak freely without fear of her words making their way to the king or the court’s ears), fiercely. It had been quite the blow when Constance decided that the Musketeers garrison had a greater need of her skills than Anne did, several years ago, but Louis had been busy rooting out those who supported his Spanish wife, and so it was for the best that Constance had left on her own terms, and in such a manner that she could still accomplish something she deemed worthwhile.

Thinking of the old garrison drew Anne’s mind towards the one being built in its place.

Construction for the new garrison continued at a swift pace, those Musketeers who remained in Paris for one reason or another determined to reclaim their space and bring a little normalcy back to their lives, and Constance was, naturally, right in the thick of things. Long gone were the days when she could be at Anne’s side day and night, and Anne allowed herself a moment to ache for simpler times before reminding herself that times had not truly been simpler then; Anne had merely been ignorant of all the dangerous undercurrents in a way that she could no longer afford. It was essential that she remain grounded in the present and fully aware of any new threats to her tenuous hold on the throne, for Louis’s sake. She forcefully emerged from her melancholy and resolved to let the past lie.

She studied the elaborate lay of her hair and the ornate string of pearls set atop the crown of her head, dripping down across her forehead, and took in the delicate blue of her dress, offset by black accents out of respect for her late First Minister. The trappings of her station had never mattered to Anne overmuch, but now, more than ever, it was vital that she present the proper image.

She nodded at her reflection sharply. She would do.

Rising from her vanity chair, Anne strode from her chambers, heading towards the throne room where she knew petitioners would gather shortly for an audience.

* * *

As though thoughts of his wife earlier that morning had summoned him, the captain of her newly formed People’s Musketeers strode into her office not long after her time in the throne room came to a close for the day, one of his newly minted soldiers scampering along with him. Between them walked Milady, whose arm d’Artagnan clamped in what appeared to be quite a firm grip.

“Captain d’Artagnan,” Anne said, concealing her disquiet as she wondered how to navigate what promised to be a rather thorny situation, “what is the meaning of this?”

D’Artagnan stepped further into the room, coming to a stop a few paces from her desk, and inclined his head.

“Forgive me for the intrusion, Your Majesty, but Milady de Winter killed a man this morning. One of the sons of Lord D’Arbonne.”

Anne met Milady’s slightly harried yet amused gaze. “Did you? Where did this happen and what was his crime?”

“Just outside the Place St. Sulpice, where d’Arbonne’s third son had lodgings. Insidious rumors about the royal family have begun to spread again, Your Majesty. I traced the rumors to their source and… removed it.”

Anne nodded once. “Who discovered you?”

Milady’s eyes flicked to her left, indicating the young Musketeer even as the boy bowed lightly and said, “I did, Your Majesty.”

“And who did you tell?”

Anne felt for the poor boy, standing there with his spotless pauldron, clearly struggling to hide his anxiety over addressing his queen.

“Only the captain and Madame d’Artagnan, Your Majesty.”

With another nod, Anne gave the boy a small smile of approval. “You have done well,” she searched her memory for the name of one she knew to be among Constance’s favorite former cadets, “Brujon. Please send for the First Minister while I speak with your captain.”

He cast an anxious look at Milady, and Anne added, “She will remain here. Do not worry, Brujon. With d’Artagnan here, I am quite safe.”

His face cleared and he looked pleased at this acknowledgement of d’Artagnan’s skill, as well as the trust Anne placed in him. Anne had to bite her tongue against the urge to smile indulgently. Oh, to be that young and innocent again.

Brujon bowed again and took his leave, discretely closing the door behind himself, evidently sensing the delicate nature of the matter about to be discussed.

Into the tense silence that ensued, Milady finally spoke in a dry tone. “You may let go of me, d’Artagnan. I am no threat to her Majesty.”

D’Artagnan’s face twisted, growing thunderous with that famous Gascon temper. He opened his mouth, presumably to remind Milady of the time when she most certainly _was_ a threat to Anne. Anne beat him to it.

“Milady speaks the truth. D’Artagnan, allow me to introduce you to my new spymaster.”

D’Artagnan blanched. “Forgive me for being so blunt, Your Majesty, but have you lost your mind?”

Anne’s eyes widened in shock before narrowing. A lesser man would have winced in the face of her obvious ire, but d’Artagnan was unmoved. “I will forgive you for speaking to me in such a manner – once. And only because I know that your overabundance of candor comes from a good place.”

He inhaled sharply, his nostrils flaring as he looked down at the floor and wrestled his temper back into submission. Eventually, his features smoothed out and he inclined his head. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“Yes, well. I suppose if I were to start censuring my men for being overprotective, I would have to start with my First Minister, and I believe we all know how much good that would do.” She glanced at Milady, who sported a deeply ironic look in her catlike eyes, and then looked once more towards d’Artagnan. “I understand that this will be difficult for you, but I must have your word that you and your men will not interfere unduly in Milady’s work.”

Visibly troubled, d’Artagnan clarified, “To be clear, are you asking me to tell my men to look the other way when she and her agents spill blood in the streets of Paris in broad daylight, Your Majesty?”

Anne held firm. “Ordering you, actually. If you must, in order to keep the peace, then have Milady and any of her agents your Musketeers arrest brought to you and then release them discreetly or bring them to me.”

He glanced at Milady with a look of deep loathing and suspicion and then asked, “Can you really say that you trust her, Your Majesty?”

She considered d’Artagnan for a few moments. “I absolutely trust her to work towards her own best interests, and having the protection of the crown certainly seems to fulfill that goal. Milady knows that so long as she serves Louis and I faithfully, her future is secure.”

D’Artagnan seemed to find no fault in her reasoning, or else he kept his doubts to himself, asking instead, “Was Athos informed of this arrangement before he left?”

“No, and you are not to tell him.” She saw his mouth opening in mulish objection, and she cut him off. “What good would it do, d’Artagnan? Athos has far more pressing concerns at the moment, and even were that not the case, he is in Pinon, not here in Paris. Milady’s presence here can have no effect on his life, and by the time Athos is ready to return to court, Milady’s network should be so well established that she should never need to be seen by anyone but myself, my First Minister, and her spies.”

A knock came at the door then, shattering the tense silence that had followed Anne’s declaration. “Your Majesty?”

“Minister,” she called out, more for the sake of the young Musketeer who most likely stood not far from the door than for either of the people currently standing before her, “do come in.”

The door opened, revealing Aramis. “You sent for me?” he asked as he strode inside. She watched as he took in the scene with wary eyes and allowed the door to close behind him.

“I did. Young Brujon came upon Milady this morning as she was in the midst of… executing her duties,” Anne explained deliberately.

“Ah,” Aramis said. “I see.”

“You knew about this arrangement?” d’Artagnan asked before rolling his eyes in exasperation. “Never mind, of course you did.”

“Yes, I did,” Aramis replied steadily. “And do you honestly believe that I would not have done everything in my power to dissuade Anne from pursuing it if I thought it might put her or Louis in danger?”

In a clear effort to avoid saying something else unfortunate today, d’Artagnan bit his lip so hard it turned white and appeared ready to tear before the danger passed and he admitted, “No, of course not.”

Aramis clapped him on the shoulder and gave him a reassuring look. “I don’t blame you for having concerns, d’Artagnan, but ultimately the benefits of this arrangement outweigh the risks.”

“Very well, then,” d’Artagnan said at length, and with a great deal of reluctance. “I will say nothing, Your Majesty. You have my word.” He bowed to Anne, turned to Milady after straightening, and pointed at her, tightly leashed tension in every line of his body. “A word of caution, though, Milady: You have a history of self-destructing rather spectacularly. Make sure when you do it this time that you do not take the royal family down with you, or I swear, it will be the last thing you ever do.”

Milady’s eyebrows rose even as she stared back at d’Artagnan, unmoved. “I shall endeavor to keep that in mind.”

D’Artagnan’s face spasmed, but he drew in a slow, deep breath and said nothing, taking his leave.

Together, Anne, Milady, and Aramis waited in silence until they could hear d’Artagnan collecting his Musketeer and departing.

“My apologies,” Anne said, feeling awkward. There was a great deal of truth to what d’Artagnan had said, but that was no excuse for the way in which he said it.

Milady waved Anne’s words away. “You are his queen and the dearest friend of his wife, to say nothing of your connection to one he considers a brother,” she added, tilting her head toward Aramis significantly. “It is only natural that he would be protective.” _Given what we all know of my past with Athos and what I nearly did to you seven years ago_ , went unsaid, but it hung heavily in the air.

Refusing to dwell upon it or allow it to unnecessarily poison their new working relationship, Anne said, “Yes, I suppose you’re right. Even so, I will expect him to act civilly towards you going forward. The two of you are, after all, on the same side.”

“Don’t worry, Your Majesty,” Aramis said. “I’ll speak with him.”

Anne let out a grateful sigh. “If you wouldn’t mind, Aramis, then please, do so.”

“Of course.” He glanced between the two women. “Since we are all here, perhaps we might discuss our next steps?”

Anne also looked towards Milady, who raised her eyebrows at Anne inquiringly and then stated, when Anne had nothing to say, “I have no objections. I’ve already accomplished my task for today.”

She refused to wince at yet another casual reference to Milady’s most recent murder. Anne had hired Milady to do a job. She had known, long before the deal was struck, that it would involve a great deal of work that would be unpleasant at best, and morally repugnant at worst. Anne would simply have to steel herself and pray for God’s forgiveness. She would rather hear of a hundred such murders than allow a single hair on her son’s head to be harmed.

Shaking away such dark thoughts, Anne said, “I want to reassign some of the staff within the Louvre. From now on, I want only servants who have been vetted by Milady anywhere near the royal wing, and especially near Louis.”

Milady frowned thoughtfully, tilting her head. “We’ll need at least one member of the staff we know we cannot trust.”

Anne felt a headache coming on. “Why?”

“If we know who the spies are, we can control the information they are privy to, and our opposition shouldn’t feel the need to position any others. I’ll ensure that their duties always overlap with those of a few of my agents. That should minimize most of the risk.” She glanced slyly towards Aramis. “And no doubt your First Minister will keep a careful eye on you and our young king.”

“Naturally,” Aramis replied, clearly entertained by Milady’s attempts to unsettle him. He was, however, neither Athos nor d’Artagnan, and while he had never appreciated the lengths to which the late king had once humiliated Anne whilst Milady enjoyed the benefits of being His Majesty’s mistress, Aramis had always been more inclined to forgive a woman for doing what she must to make her way in life.

Milady allowed herself the faintest of pouts for failing to get a rise out of him and then said, “Very well, then. Where would you like to start?”

**Author's Note:**

> Don't worry - d'Artagnan is not going to be "evil" in this series. I actually happen to _adore_ him. He just loves Athos and Anne and Constance quite a lot, and Milady has, at various points, messed with every single one of them. Naturally, her increased presence in Anne's life makes him worried, and when d'Artagnan is worried, his Gascon temper rears its ugly head.


End file.
